JLOS Participates in 2015 Anti-Corruption Week

Heads of anti-corruption agencies at the 2015 anti-corruption media breakfast on December 9 2015 (PHOTO: IGG)

KAMPALA - The Justice, Law and Order Sector – a key stakeholder in the fight against corruption participated, along with other agencies, in this year’s anti-corruption week that held under the theme, “Stop Syndicate Corruption for Better Service Delivery”. In partnership with the Inspectorate of Government, Directorate of Ethics and Integrity, Office of the Auditor General and the Public Procurement and Disposal Agency (PPDA) supported by the German Government through Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), JLOS institutions participated in various activities in commemoration of the International Anti-Corruption week from December 2 – 9, 2015. The activities were aimed at creating massive awareness about corruption, its effects and encourage the public and the media to join in the strong fight against the evil.

The Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) is committed to fighting all forms of actual and perceived corruption, including syndicate corruption, through administrative, legislative and practice reforms. In partnership with the Accountability Sector, these efforts are designed to eliminate all forms of abuse of office, acts of impunity and ensuring accountability and the rule of law.

All seventeen (17) JLOS institutions fight syndicate corruption through institutionalizing and implementing the JLOS Third Strategic Investment Plan (SIP III), and both the JLOS and National Anti-Corruption Strategies. Three core pillars form the foundation of JLOS’ strategy for zero tolerance to corruption: PREVENTION, DETECTION, and PUNISHMENT. These frameworks and pillars guide the strengthening of JLOS capacity to entrench professionalism, integrity, transparency and accountability in service delivery and staff conduct.

By applying both administrative and criminal justice sanction systems, the Sector is steadily reducing incidents of perceived and actual corruption. The general public is invited to use toll free call lines and complaint boxes in JLOS institutions to report acts of corruption.

The Sector has set up a number of administrative mechanisms to promote accountability and fight prevalence of corruption. These include the JLOS Inspectors Forum, the JLOS Integrity Committee, the JLOS Audit Committee, the Human Rights and Accountability Working Group, Professional Standards Unit of Police, institutional staff disciplinary units, a series of toll free call lines and complaints handling frameworks, among others. Service delivery reforms, such as computerization of business processes have eliminated opportunities for syndicate corruption at many service points such as the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).

Stakeholders in the anti-corruption campaign that include the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), the Uganda Police Force, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and the Judiciary have demonstrated exemplary performance in investigation and fighting corruption countrywide. For example, during the FY 2014/15, the anti-Corruption Court division of the high court registered the best-case disposal rate in the Judiciary of 368 Cases and the Police/CID handled 458 corruption cases. This is demonstrable evidence of the Sector’s commitment to fight all forms of corruption.

The Justice, Law and Order Sector, therefore, appeals to the public to report all incidents of corruption and promote accountability as a cornerstone for access to justice, the promotion of the rule of law and security of person and property.